The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling surface mounting processes, and more particularly, to a system and method for controlling placement and replenishment of feeder trays of a surface mounting device (SMD) accurately.
Generally, during surface mounting of electronic components onto a circuit board, a position recognition of the circuit board by detecting the image of the recognition mark using a camera is carried out to mount electronic components onto the circuit board in a work station. And then, the surface mounting action is carried out by a mounting machine in which the mounting head picks up a specified electronic component from a feeder tray and mounts the electronic component onto the circuit board at a predetermined position, and this action is repeated until all of the electronic components are mounted onto the circuit board. The SMD mounting head moves upwardly and downwardly, and horizontally between the positions during the mounting action. The feeder tray system supplying the electronic components to the SMD mounting head comprises a plurality of feeder trays, wherein each tray carries one particular type of electronic components. The plurality of trays moves along a rack system automatically to supply the electronic components to the mounting head during the surface mounting process.
FIG. 1 illustrates a SMD fabrication station 1, comprising multiple fabrication lines (L1, L2, L3, . . . , Ln). Each of the fabrication lines consists of a plurality of surface mounting devices (MV1, MV2, MV5, . . . etc), and each of the machine platforms includes a plurality of work stations (not shown). Each of the work stations may be numbered, for example: 001, 002, 003, 004, . . . etc. In a fabrication start up, for example, an operator prepares to load electronic components corresponding to an identification number LIMV9002 for a feeder tray 1234. Next, the feeder tray 1234 is placed into a mounting rack (not shown), and then secured in a work station 002 of a SMD MV9 in a fabrication line L1. Likewise after all of the feeder trays are loaded with corresponding types of electronic components and secured in position in the fabrication line, the mounting operation is initiated.
However, there are several disadvantages in the above procedure. Since loading of electronic components into each feeder tray is carried out manually and since a considerable number of different types of electronic components need to be mounted onto a board e.g. printed circuit board (PCB), there is a high possibility of loading electronic components into a wrong feeder tray. It is highly critical that loading of wrong electronic components would result in mounting of the wrong electronic components at wrong positions on the board. As a result, the mounting procedure needs to be re-performed, which in turn leads to waste of materials and fabrication time, thereby making the fabrication cost-ineffective to implement with poor yield.
Further, there is a potential possibility for not replacing or replenishing the feeder tray that runs out of electronic components in real time due to carelessness of the operation, and this therefore increases the operation time of the mounting procedure.
Therefore, there is need to improve operation of SMD effectively to increase yield and productivity at the same time.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a new system and method for controlling a surface mounting process, so as to allow the surface mounting process to be conducted in greater accuracy.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a system and method for controlling a surface mounting process, so as to improve productivity and increase profit.
In accordance with the above and other objective, the present invention proposes a system and method for controlling a surface mounting process. The system for controlling a surface mounting process of the invention is applied to a surface mounting device (SMD) fabrication station, wherein an operator is informed of a work station status of the SMD fabrication station, and a feeder tray in the work station is assigned and pasted with a barcode reflecting identification data for the feeder tray, so as to allow the operator to perform a surface mounting process in the SMD fabrication station.
The system for controlling a surface mounting process comprises: a scanning device for scanning the barcode on the feeder tray; a database server having a database for storing a plurality of the barcodes and a SMD correlation chart, wherein each of the barcodes includes data of the feeder tray relating to a material serial number, a loading capacity and a quantity of the feeder tray of this type, and corresponds to a work station serial number in the SMD correlation chart; an inquiry module for retrieving a work station serial number from the SMD correlation chart corresponding to the scanned barcode from the scanning device; a microprocessor module for receiving the retrieved work station serial number from the inquiry module, so as to generate a stream controlling signal in response to the received work station serial number, and for generating an operational or non-operational signal or a replenishment signal to the work station according to the work station status; a storage module for storing a work station correlation chart, wherein a placement signal is generated by the work station with the feeder tray being placed therein, and corresponds to a work station serial number, while the placement signal together with the corresponding work station serial number are used to establish the work station correlation chart; an input/output control module for transmitting a mounting signal to a work station corresponding to the stream controlling signal generated by the microprocessor module so as to prompt the corresponding work station to generate a mounting message to the operator, and for receiving the placement signal from the work station and searching in the work station correlation chart of the storage module for a work station serial number corresponding to the received placement signal, wherein the corresponding work station serial number is transmitted to the microprocessor module; the inquiry module is prompted to write a record indicating the feeder tray placement of the work station into the SMD correlation chart in response to the corresponding work station serial number, and searches for barcodes corresponding to the work station serial number for obtaining data of loading capacities to be transmitted to the microprocessor module; and the microprocessor module determines according to the searched work station serial number from the inquiry module if the corresponding work station is placed with feeder trays in position; if the feeder trays are placed in position, the microprocessor module generates an operational signal to the work station; or else, the microprocessor module generates a non-operational signal to the work station; a calculation module for calculating replenishment time of the feeder trays during initiating the operation of the work station according to the loading capacities received by the microprocessor module, wherein a replenishment signal is transmitted by the microprocessor module to the work station, and then the work station generates a replenishment message to the operator when the operation time of the work station approaches the replenishment time of the feeder trays during the operation of the work station; and a display module for displaying the searched work station serial number from the input/output control module corresponding to the placement signal transmitted from the work station, so as to allow an examination operator to verify and initiate the operation of the work station; the display module prompted by the microprocessor module for displaying the work station serial number and corresponding material serial numbers for the feeder trays to be replenished when the operation time of the work station approaches the replenishment time of the feeder trays, so as to allow a replenishment operator to perform the replenishment process.
In the system for controlling a surface mounting process of the invention, the storage module and the input/output control module are mounted in a single chip controlling circuit. The inquiry module, the microprocessor module, the calculation module, the display module and the printer module are installed in a computer device or a server host. Therefore, by integrating and connecting the single chip controlling circuit, the computer device or server host, the scanning device and the database server to the SMD fabrication station, the system for controlling a surface mounting process of the invention can be carried out.
The method for controlling a surface mounting process of the invention is applied to a system for controlling a surface mounting process of a surface mounting device (SMD) fabrication station, wherein an operator is informed of a work station status of the SMD fabrication station and a feeder tray in the work station is assigned and pasted with a barcode including data relating to a material serial number, a loading capacity and a quantity of the feeder tray of this type. The system for controlling a surface mounting process includes a database for storing a plurality of the barcodes and a SMD correlation chart, and a storage module for storing a work station correlation chart, which consists of a placement signal generated by the work station with the feeder tray placed therein, and a work station serial number corresponding to the placement signal.
The method for controlling a surface mounting process comprises the steps of: (1) scanning a barcode on a feeder tray via the system for controlling a surface mounting process; (2) retrieving a work station serial number via the system for controlling a surface mounting process from the database corresponding to the scanned barcode; (3) transmitting a mounting signal via the system for controlling a surface mounting process to a corresponding work station in response to the retrieved work station serial number, and prompting the work station to transmit a mounting message to the operator; (4) transmitting a placement signal via the work station to the system for controlling a surface mounting process after placing the feeder tray in the work station; (5) retrieving a work station serial number via the system for controlling a surface mounting process from the storage module corresponding to the placement signal, and writing a record of feeder tray placement into the SMD correlation chart of the database corresponding to the retrieved work station serial number, which is displayed by a display module; (6) determining via the system for controlling a surface mounting process if the work station is placed with corresponding feeder trays therein according to the SMD correlation chart stored in the database, wherein if the feeder trays are not readily placed, the work station is prompted to generate a non-operational signal, and the step (1) is repeated; if the feeder trays are placed in position, then step (7) is followed; and (7) prompting the work station to generate an operational signal via the system for controlling a surface mounting process.
The step (7) of the foregoing method for controlling a surface mounting process further comprises the steps of: (7-1) retrieving loading capacities of barcodes via the system for controlling a surface mounting process from the database corresponding to the work station serial number, and calculating replenishment time for the work station according to the retrieved loading capacities; (7-2) determining via the system for controlling a surface mounting process if operation time of the work station approaches the replenishment time thereof, wherein if the operation time is not approaching the replenishment time, the step (7-2) is repeated; or else, step (7-3) is followed; and (7-3) transmitting a replenishment signal via the system for controlling a surface mounting process to the work station to be replenished, and prompting the work station to generate a replenishment message to the operator, wherein the work station serial number and corresponding material serial numbers of the barcodes are displayed by the display module, so as to allow the operator to obtain materials for replenishment from a material replenishment area.
In the step (7-3), the system for controlling a surface mounting process establishes a list of the material serial numbers for the feeder trays to be replenished, and prompts a printer device to print the list, so as to allow a preparation operator to prepare and provide the materials for replenishment for the operator. Therefore, in the use of the foregoing method for controlling a surface mounting process, the operation is informed of replenishment for the feeder trays before the feeder trays run out of loaded materials, so that the surface mounting process can be more time-effectively performed, and productivity and profit in fabrication can be increased.
The work station of the SMD fabrication station is installed with a placement signal light, which is turned on in response to the mounting signal transmitted from the input/output control module. A plurality of signal lights are installed in the work station of the SMD fabrication station, including an operational signal light, a non-operational signal light and a replenishment signal light, so as to inform the operator of the work station status accurately in real time.